audio Listen to Rich tell you the story behind "Signs" by Five Man Electrical Band

In the early days of the band, back at the beginning of the 70s, the band went to Los Angeles to begin working on a record. One of the first songs they recorded caught the attention of the head of major record label, MGM. When the band was offered a contract, they thought they hit the big time. But the band's producer, Dallas Smith thought signing the deal was a mistake.

MGM liked a song called "Hello Melinda Goodbye" and showed little interest in another song called "Signs". The band's producer, Dallas Smith was so sure "Signs" would be a hit, he convinced the band to opt out of their contract with MGM. He found a tiny label out of New York called Lionel Records that loved "Signs" and wanted to release it as a single. The guys in the band were a bit skeptical and worried they were making a big mistake, but they trusted their producer and valued his belief in them.

The gamble paid off big time. When Lionel Records released "Signs" in 1971, it went through the roof, reaching #3 on the Billboard chart in the U.S.

Here's the amazing twist: MGM was so concerned that they missed out on a good thing with Five Man Electrical Band, they bought Lionel Records after "Signs" became a hit. It must have been extremely satisfying for producer Dallas Smith to be able to say "I told you so" to the brass at MGM.

Here's one of the biggest hits of 1971 - a hippie anthem by a group of guys from Ottawa who stuck to their guns. This is "Signs" by Five Man Electrical Band.